As technology around the frameworks and processes of software development continues to evolve, PCI has been investing in new technology stacks, processes, and UI/UX functionality. The new platform incorporating this new tech at PCI is called “PCI Kube.”
In this blog post, we’ll discuss some key considerations when building the PCI Kube platform and what it means for our customers.
Essential characteristics of modern software
Most of us recognize good software when we see it. It‘s the website or app that gradually keeps improving over time but never seems to have errors or downtime. It’s easy to use as a beginner and even more powerful as an advanced user. Doing what you want only takes a few clicks, and those things happen quickly. It’s probably the software you don’t think about much because it doesn’t get in the way.
Here’s a summary of those traits and more that we like to see in our software:
If you attended PCI’s INFOCUS 2022 conference, you heard how these traits are at the heart of our new development initiatives.
How do we create great software?
Creating software with the traits above is quite challenging. Before even writing the first line of code, it requires understanding the business needs and the problems needing to be solved. Before development, functionality needs to be organized into small modules that are loosely coupled. This process ensures that changes to one part of the system don’t impact other parts.
During development, teams must use lightweight tools to create and iterate quickly and without lengthy build pipelines. New code requires extensive automated testing (which is also code). This technique ensures that future enhancements can be made often and without manual regression cycles.
New functionality must be released as soon as it’s complete, which benefits users and development teams. Users get new functionality as soon as possible and can start to take advantage of it. Teams get confirmation that the change is working as expected while everything is still fresh in their minds.
Releases need to be small and often, which is only possible if all the other ingredients are in place. It’s easier to undo one small change if there’s a problem than to figure out what happens when months of changes are introduced simultaneously. Additionally, sound monitoring is needed to alert you to errors or performance changes.
These concepts all played a role in choosing the frameworks, tools, processes, and technology that make up the new PCI Kube platform.
Deployment
Writing software for a SaaS deployment can be easier than for an on-premises deployment. The vendor can ensure that every environment is always on the latest build with SaaS. This act makes it easier to transition to a newer version than the on-premises scenario, where the deployment may be several versions behind.
PCI has solutions that make sense for the SaaS and Enterprise models.
One nice feature of the PCI Kube platform is that core services can be run in the cloud or the enterprise, which allows us to deploy the same build packages to either location.
PCI Kube availability
As described earlier, great software must be planned and designed with the modern tech stack in mind. It‘s not as simple as just deploying existing code to a new location. As new products are developed, and existing products undergo major updates, we‘ll leverage the new platform to realize the benefits described earlier.
What's next
Several customers have expressed interest in getting their hands on PCI Kube. If you’re interested in learning more, contact us and talk to an expert.
